Show After Peace Comes What Committee for tor Economic Development Seeks Ways Nays to Maintain Employment I II II I I Survey of Community's Community Postwar Business Prospects Is Urged By I PINE by Western lIper Union Within n a year yem and perhaps much sooner sootier the tha war in Et Etrope Eu- Eu Europe Europe rope will end end according t to most experts both political politico and military Immediately the problems of reconverting wartime America to peacetime peace pence time Lime production will begin Factories that have been run run- running running running ning lay day and ni night ht will slow slowdown slowdown down and md perhaps close I thousands of men will wil wilho willbe be ho released from lie ale arme armed armedI I forces Labor shortages will wil disappear and before long the tiie specter of unemployment will be back bock It was wan to try to devise ways for th the Orderly return to peacetime production lion tion and to try to avoid the mass mas unemployment that usually follows follow war that the Committee Com mIL tee for tor Eco Eco- Economic Domic Development was organized a II little more than a year ago This Thi committee Is n a group ot of the na na- na lions lion's foremost business executives bankers economists and other tech experts Chairman is Paul O 0 G. G hoffman Iman president of the tr ir r corporation The vice chairman Is the thus vice president of the of Chicago Presidents of ot several sev soy eral nationally known corporations corporation on the committee The committee is not connected with the federal government in an any anyway way Vay although its Us office is In Wash Wash- Washington Washington ington D. D C. C C Its activities are arc split spill Into two major branches Research division and ani Field Development dI- dI vision The research division has hns the task ask of at investigating all policies of ol labor and government that thai retard expanding employment and production After finding out what md and where the tho trouble is Is the re- re earch division presents for suitable changes The field development division has baa the responsibility of tag Ing ng and helping Individual enter enter- irises to plan now for tor high levels I Dt f productive employment and prof prof- table distribution in the postwar period peel od There ore are 12 regional chairmen 1 for or each ellch Federal Reserve district who ho supervise the field development work in their sections Un Un- regional reg ore ch irm state who it I lim turn appoint chairmen of at county count committees Fl FI- ally the county committees super super-i vise the survey work of ot the th com corn committees How Albert Ibert Lea Minus 1 Does Docs It A typical survey by a community committee is one conducted in Al AI Alert bert ert Lea n a city of at In Free Free- Freeborn born bom orn county Minnesota Freeborn Freborn county is on the southern edge of 01 time the lie state adjoining Iowa so su the trading radius of ot Albert Lea Len Includes part of ot three northern northen Iowa n coun coun- ties tics Nearly people in the agricultural region about the trade trado at a t Albert Leas Lea's stores There are al' 11 major Industries in InA Albert Libert A Lea Len antI and businesses classed as ns secondary employers There is a n stove sto factory n I gas ma ma- mahine machine chine hine factory n a creamery n a meat packing plant n food products mak mak- maker makr er r and several specialty products manufacturers in the city The elec dee power company Is located there Icing Being n a county count seat sent there is con con- considerable legal and clerical I activity Keeping all these matters in mind the lie local economic development committee began becan its survey of postwar business and employment possibilities Its first step was to set et up UI two questions the answers to which were to be the solution of ofis Its is problem Beginning with the premise remise that Somehow there be e n a job paying n a living wage for every very worker who ho wanted one i aft aft- after er r the Ule war First thing said the committee Is isto isto to j find out how many workers would want aut jobs and how many jobs busl busl- ness fleas thought it could provide after the he war It took the number employed in 1940 1040 as a 1 base this being eing the last full year before the country countr entered the war Then it added the Ume number unemployed and seeking work in that year ear These figures were td In 1940 19 D. D 4 66 Unemployed lo ed In III 1910 Total prewar labor force forve rt Then the committee obtained the employment figures for tor 1943 iring that they were w re abnormally high hl with many women and high high- school chool students working who ordinarily arlly mully would not be in im industry Some ome people had moved into town tOl too so who were ere not expected to stay Ei ri dv a A f j. j 41 s i m r i i 4 7 3 m 1 f f i. i 4 P STEEL WORKERS lined up before the pay windows of a huge huga Pittsburgh pUnt plant now operating at capacity are representative of the tha millions of factory people now earning good wages But how many will be working hen the war orders end after the war boom The figures was being conducted among a se selected se- se settled upon were section cross cros of at the city's pop population l In 1941 to find out their buying intentions in In- Unemployed In 1943 Zoo after normal conditions re reo re- re Wartime labor force turned A similar survey was made mode I by mail mall among the farmers of Free Free- Freeborn The next step was more difficult born county asking them what goo It was to try to estimate how many marty they expected to buy for their farms persons would want work worle after the as well as os for tor their homes and war var when the servicemen had re- re reNew lies Some of ot the things that people hoped to buy were New automobiles City resident 1138 1156 eau cart at 1033 average cost Farmers Jarmer cars at 9 11 New housing City elly houses house bOU at Farm hous ISO at U to housing I City houses homei at Farm arm houses sma at lIDS Farm barn at 1413 1471 Farm Farni silos llos at Other farm arm purchases el Tractors Tractor at Ire small mall buildings at 66 Installations Installation at M Other city purchases Refrigerator 6 6 at Furniture at Vacation travel at I turned and other changes had come corm about A survey Y among employ employ- employers ers gave gove these figures Returning from armed forces 1012 Returning from farms fa Returning from other regions Growth and autO maturity of ol polla population tion 46 1943 TOtAl att T M. M 4 MII 1815 This total was s then added to the wartime labor force lAbor force e la labo bo j force farce 1943 1913 liter after wu Tout Total T otal Ji 7 10 Subtracted from this however was a sizable group who would not be in the labor market after the war var These were Returning to farms to Returning to other regions SO 50 Not seeking postwar Jobs Total r Taking this number from the previous total left which the committee called the net postwar labor force In other words between six and seven thousand people would be expecting to find I steady work in Albert Albeit Lea after aCter the war Obvious Obvious- Obviously ly ty the next move was to find out how many Jobs the city's employers could provide When returns came in from Cram every employer from small smallest est shop to largest factory the re reo results suits were labor labur force lorce as Number that ran can be employed after alter war ns as I estimated Albert Leas Lea's unemployed In say U 1946 1916 19 G on this buls basLa So about COO people would be out of ot work or nearly 10 per cent Local Business Prospects The committee then turned to find find- findIng Ing lag out whether business activity could not be stimulated a II bit Ev Etc Every cry ery business man answered a eonS con confidential Ment ou Tabulated responses response gave this salient information tion ti tic The 11 big industries gave this reply as summarized Volume of ol business done dona In 1933 gross roes salts salu S Volume of business dona done In 1940 1910 2 79 Volume of business bu done In 1913 Volume of business you ex n. expect pert to do In the tho Out aret postwar ar year tU Then the secondary businesses were told that these 11 major indus indus- industries industries tries expected to employ about 60 per pcr cent more workers in the post postwar war var period than in 1940 and 1 per percent percent percent cent more than thanin in fj 1943 19 the peak year to date With this in mind the secondary seconds ry business men guessed that their volume of or sales salts would run runabout runabout I about 15 per cent higher hl er in the years ears immediately following the war than in 1943 While the survey sUI among business businessmen men was being made a second one How lIow to Pay for II U. Another question qu put was How do you intend to pay for tor these pur purchases purchases purchases chases City people with Incomes Income between 1770 and replied that they would pay in this man manner ner ncr From current Income War v at bonds 89 N Farm families with Incomes rang ranging ranging ing from 1500 to 2000 a year ex expected ex- ex expected to pay Ifor for things thus Current Curren I Income 64 64 11 4 Il 0 War 8 at bond bonds 32 In general people with large in incomes incomes incomes comes proposed to buy with cash rather than to borrow as ns people ol of smaller means planned to do How lIow Much Farm Income The Albert Lea committee realized real rell fully how dependent the city was on the prosperity of the sur sur- surrounding surrounding rounding farmers A sub commit subcommittee tee was working on farm tarm income prospects while the other investigations Investigations were going on Total income for tor Freeborn county was set down as follows Farm Income latome 1939 J S Farm Farni Income 1913 Farm Income first postwar year The postwar figure was established after analyzing the possibilities ties of changes in crops and live live- livestock stock Aside tram Iron maintaining hemp raising and an increase in soybeans soy soy- soybeans beans and some rome vegetable crops the committee did not anticipate any important changes The Thc members did recommend establishing a soy soybean bean processing plant and a can can- nery To find out how much the city and county construction projects could be depended upon to provide employment a survey of ot public works programs was made When this sub-committee sub reported it wa shown sho that some worth oi of work had to be deferred because ol of olwar war representing about man man- hours New projects might amount to of expenditures The com corn did not consider the possibility ity of state and federal projects II was the committees committee's conclusion that thai little reliance could be placed on arm public works as a n means of t relieving ing irig unemployment ment After ACtor weighing all aU the tion gleaned by the sub-committees sub the general committee Lea had a sound starting point for tor it its postwar employment plans Albert Lea is only one city cily but it itis ItIs itis is representative lI e of ot thousands ol oj communities in hi the United States Its problems are the nations nation's lems It is the Committee for Eco romic Developments Development's intention te tc I help solve these problems by late ute information |